Lincoln Township Fire Chief Brandon Chiarello will remain on unpaid leave through April 13 and then be reinstated to his position with a six-month probationary period.

That’s the decision of the Lincoln Township Board of Trustees, which met Thursday in a special session to discuss Chiarello’s suspension about two weeks ago and the next steps.

Township Manager Kacey Dominguez this week confirmed Chiarello was on unpaid leave for a reason not specifically stated publicly. Speaking Thursday, Lincoln Township Supervisor Glenn Youngstedt said the matter’s been a “very difficult decision” for the board.

“I think Brandon’s behavior a week ago Thursday was unacceptable, shouldn’t have happened,” Youngstedt said. “I know he regrets his comments at that time, and it’s just unfortunate.”

Chiarello’s suspension came shortly after the manager announced the township was taking a step back from the chief’s plan to expand the fire department to full time operations. Chiarello had a large number of supporters — many of them firefighters — on hand at Thursday’s meeting. One read a statement from Watervliet Fire Chief Bill Whitney.

“Chief Chiarello is a very dedicated, proactive chief who truly cares about the community and his department. I believe the board was on the right track with moving toward full-time staffing.”

Speaking at the meeting, Trustee Deb Peterson said that both parties — the chief and the manager — made mistakes and warned against decisions made “off the cuff.” After trustees returned from a closed session and voted to reinstate Chiarello once his 30 days are up, he told us he’ll return.

“I’m not going to comment on the details right now,” Chiarello said. “I just appreciate the board looking into it and reinstatement on April 13. So, looking forward to that.”

The board’s vote was five to one with one member absent. The lone dissenting vote was from Treasurer Terrie Smith. Youngstedt declined additional comment following Thursday’s meeting.